Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Walnut, CA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,720 in Walnut, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Walnut, CA
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Walnut, CA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Walnut, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,720

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Walnut, CA and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Walnut, CA and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,720 per month in Walnut, CA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Walnut, CA $2,720
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,074 per month in Walnut, CA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Walnut, CA $4,074
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,428 per month in Walnut, CA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Walnut, CA $5,428
Nosara $3,712

Walnut, CA costs about 48% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Walnut, CA and Nosara sit above the global median – Walnut, CA by 103%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.22 ₡5,509

63.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$60.2 ₡27.1K

31.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.16 $15.16

$7.54 ₡3,399

101.06%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$4.31 ₡1,941

45.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.72 ₡773

105.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.35 ₡608

76.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.24 ₡1,459

129.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 $9.48

$4.48 ₡2,018

111.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.57 ₡707

-33.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.17 ₡1,429

26.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.42 ₡1,091

102.89%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$3.57 ₡1,609

31.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.43 ₡3,349

76.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.93 $19.93

$10.42 ₡4,697

91.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$13.66 ₡6,156

10.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.32 ₡1,044

112.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.61 ₡728

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.74 ₡2,138

17.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$1.66 ₡747

249.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.72 ₡1,679

-3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.57 ₡1,611

-38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.10 ₡497

76.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.55 ₡1,149

-24.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$4.95 ₡2,232

137.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$20.01 ₡9,020

-25.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.79 ₡1,256

-31.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.53 ₡1,589

19.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.19 ₡537

65.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-17.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 $6.31

$2.24 ₡1,011

181.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.55 ₡701

27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.09 $32.09

$8.86 ₡3,993

262.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.57 ₡708

-1.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.6K $37.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.23%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-22.19%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$168 $168

$93.5 ₡42.1K

79.76%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

88.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$51.5 ₡23.2K

15.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.52 $45.52

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-36.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$7.84 ₡3,535

91.58%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$490 ₡220.7K

285.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

87.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$53.5 ₡24.1K

5.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 $40.22

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$78.9 ₡35.6K

82.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$786 ₡354.3K

74.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$780 ₡351.6K

77.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,540 $2,540

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,856 $1,856

$1,407 ₡634.4K

31.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 $3,068

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-56.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,076 $2,076

$1,201 ₡541.3K

72.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Walnut, CA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Walnut, CA

$1.4K 49.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 43.8% $608

Groceries & Markets

Walnut, CA

$453 16.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 22.8% $103

Eating Out

Walnut, CA

$360 12.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 41.9% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Walnut, CA

$294 10.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 38.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Walnut, CA

$150 5.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 19.9% $30

Getting Around

Walnut, CA

$84 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.6% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Walnut, CA

$76 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,373 in Walnut, CA versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Walnut, CA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $453 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Walnut, CA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h ahead of Walnut, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,294

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Walnut, CA Nosara 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Walnut, CA
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Walnut, CA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,720 in Walnut, CA, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,080 per month in Walnut, CA and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,887 per month in Walnut, CA and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Walnut, CA at $2,720. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Walnut, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,720 in Walnut, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Walnut, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.